Customer Reviews

Dark And Stormy Night

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Okay... "Dark and Stormy Night" is my new favorite movie. It's written and directed by Larry Blamire ("Lost Skeleton of Cadavra", "Trail of the Screaming Forehead") and it's a satire of Old Dark House horror movies. This movie is ten times funnier than "Murder By Death". I loved the movie version of "Clue" (sue me). This is better. I can't even begin to count the strange quotes you're going to be getting from me. The dialogue is rapid-fire and brilliantly off-the-wall. There is a love of and dexterity with language and a dearth of fart jokes.

It has the goddess Jennifer Blaire (Animala in "Lost Skeleton") as wise-cracking reporter Billy Tuesday. As far as I'm concerned, she's right up there with the goddess Jane Lynch.

This also has the goddess Fay Masterson (Betty in "Lost Skeleton") as a British ingénue so helpless she can't sit in a chair on her own and the amazing goddess Susan McConnell (Lattis in "Lost Skeleton") as a mad Scotswoman with the greatest heavily-accented vituperation this side of John Cleese as the French guard in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".

If you like the Christopher Guest style of ensemble casting, you're going to love this movie. Andrew Parks (Kro-Bar in "Lost Skeleton") is the standard issue tuxedoed British fop. His mom, Betty Garrett (from "Laverne & Shirley") pops in and out of the story with her gorilla (Bob Burns. If you've ever seen a gorilla in a 1960s sitcom, it was Bob Burns.) Jim Beaver (Ellsworth on "Deadwood") is great as the deceased millionaire's safari guide ("Some of the toughest four days I've ever spent.") Actually, there isn't anybody in this movie who couldn't be singled out - which of course is what you're shooting for with an ensemble.

I completely love Larry Blamire. In a Non-Threatening, Manly American sort of way, I mean. I watched the film again with the commentary track on. His frame of reference is so like mine, it's frightening. Who else bases a character on William Demarest in "All Through the Night" (a Bogart comedy that flopped because it was marketed as an action film)?

This is a movie for anyone who ever wished the "Carol Burnett Show" had hired the writers from "Your Show of Shows".

Quotes:

"I'd LIKE a ducky."

"Hi everybody my name's Ray Vestinhaus - a stranger - and my car just happened to break down just outside, can I stay for the reading of the will? (BEAT) Oop."

"I am Dr. von Vandervon. Dr. Van von Vandervon."

"Let the puppy go!" - "Come to Nana!" "Let the puppy GO!" - "Come to NANA!" "LET THE PUPPY GO!" - "COME TO NANA!"

"Let us leave this room of death and mounted heads who once were friends."

What a pleasure this film is! We laughed from the opening scene all the way through the last moments. Larry Blamire's gift for ridiculous dialogue and spot on satire shines through in this wonderful send up of "people stuck in the house with a murderer(s) on the loose" genre. The acting is very strong and the comedic moments (which are numerous) are played "straight" - which is the only way to do it! My hat's off to Blamire & Crew for bringing yet another fine comedy together. I can't wait for the next movie!

Dark & Stormy Night is a spoof of those great murder mystery type movies from the 30's & 40's in which a group of characters gather at a creepy old house/mansion of some sort, in this case to hear a will reading of a recently deceased individual. Unbeknownst to them at first is that there is a murderer in their midst and one by one people start getting picked off while the rest try to figure out who the killer is.

Writer/director/actor/producer Larry Blamire really nails the look of these type of classic old movies. Even though this movie was filmed on sound stages, the feel of the house that this takes place in is great and very authentic to that era. Big, expansive with all kinds of rooms, nooks & crannies and secret compartments for the characters to discover.

The cast is thoroughly excellent and as with Larry Blamire's 2 Lost Skeleton films are obviously having a blast. There is also some appropriately cheesy model work near the beginning involving a car going over an old decrepit wooden bridge. The musical score is also surprisingly very authentic to this type of movie.

If there is one slight criticism that I have with the film, it's that the fact that movie starts to drag in a few places in terms of the pacing. The movie is 90 minutes along and maybe could have been slightly more effective with a little more judicious editing to maybe around 75 minutes.

But that is a slight complaint. The movie is funny, immensely quotable and very well done in all respects. It might not have the immediate wide appeal that the Lost Skeleton films have, but it manages to execute its humor in a more sly manner that makes it a very satisfying viewing experience. And don't forget the willsnacks when you watch this with friends!

Being a huge fan of movies such as, "The Old Dark House" from 1932, with Charles Laughton and Boris Karloff, and "One Body Too Many" from 1944 with Bela Lugosi, I was anxious to see how the Director would pay homage to those films and others in it's genre. I found the movie entertaining, with lots of quick witted dialogue, great atmosphere and a respectful spoof of the great classic murder mysteries from the 30's, 40's and 50's. If you are a fan of more recent murder mystery movies with a comedic dark side, such as "Clue", "Murder by Death" or "The Cheap Detective", then you will enjoy this film. The DVD offers the film in both black and white and in color, however, in my opinion, much of the allure and chemistry of the film is lost in the color version. A good film overall and one that I would recommend for anyone looking for a fun little night of murder in an old dark house.

I'm a big Larry Blamire fan and ordered this as soon as it was available. My kids and I waited with bated breath until it came. Then we watched and laughed and mocked this genre of film that was so popular back in the 1930. All the characters that you love in old dark house movies are portrayed, and brilliantly by Larry's cast from The Lost Skeleton series.

The only point I have against this film, and my kids agree with me, is that one of the characters really "pushes the envelope" if you will, past the point of acceptable ridiculousness. Larry and the producers have always struggled with where the line is when making fun of a genre film. I'd say they got it 97%. The 4 stars are because I can't give 4.5 stars.

For those of you that haven't' seen them.... watch The Lost Skeleton of Cadavera and The Lost Skeleton Returns Again. Both brilliant and wonderfully funny, also by Larry Blamire and company.

The mad geniuses who cooked up The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra can apparently do no wrong. If you know Larry Blamire's other work, you know the tone of this piece, and if you don't, you're in for a treat. Comedy fans who were unmoved by the hokey sci-fi cliches of Lost Skeleton might be more enamored with this spooky old house murder-mystery. Like Clue, Murder By Death, and other wacky takes on the genre, the laughs don't come at the expense of the mystery, which is a well kept secret until the final set piece. Unlike those others, this one has more delightful nonsense and dementedly witless wordplay than Through the Looking Glass. Classic film enthusiasts will giggle at every turn of 30s slang and chuckle at each plot device, from the creak of each secret door to the glimmer of eyeholes in the family portraits. Those less initiated (and they are few-- for example, children who have somehow never seen Scooby-Doo) will still find it funny on a more absurd level. This is a movie to be enjoyed with an audience, so gather a group together and enjoy. Don't forget to serve the "will snacks."

Homage or Spoof? Both! This is a brilliant low-budget effort by the team who brought you The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, Trail of the Screaming Forehead and The Lost Skeleton Returns Again. The miniatures look wonderfully cheesy, the sets lovingly crafted. Costumes, lighting, effects, music - period 1930's and pitch-perfect. The acting is totally over the top ham by some very talented actors. The director is bringing you a love-letter to the genre "old dark house." This is a great movie to watch with friends on bad movie night. Delightful from start to ridiculous finish! There is a commentary track that only makes you laugh and appreciate this movie even more. Also included is a full-length colorized version! Fun - all of it, great fun!

You're only as good as your material, I blame director/writer/actor Larry Blamire for making this less than it could have been. Once again, Larry proves he is lousy at word play; relying too heavily on double talk and repetition to gain a laugh. Rule number one: if a joke doesn't work the first time, repeating it isn't going to help. In one case, Larry has two of his actors repeating their dialog back and forth, like small children trying to goad each other. It goes on far too long, to the point of desperation. I wanted to shout, it isn't funny, drop it and move on! Odd names don't help the situation either (Seyton Ethelquake, Sabasha Fanmoore, Burling Famish, Jr.), nor does having them said endlessly. Sight gags, on the other hand, worked well. Toying with the old "Dark House" plots also proved amusing. Pity Larry couldn't stick with what worked instead of falling back on lame antics like a guy who had to be prompted when he couldn't think of a word for things like: chair, falling, hat. Not funny. Neither was having acclaimed actress Betty Garrett wander through scenes for absolutely no reason whatsoever. At least James Karen was funny, as was most of the cast. They just needed better material to work with.
Not a keeper.

For the average movie-watcher, this is more like 5 yawns and I'm disappointed that the average rating on this flick is so skewed to 5 stars. Even for low-budget movies, this is poor. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it and I stopped it after viewing 20 minutes and not getting one opportunity to crack a smile, much less a chuckle. If you want to see a real send-up of old-style murder mysteries, then see "Murder By Death" or even "Clue".

The concept seems good going in, but the script and timing are poor. The dialog and delivery could not make me laugh. Yes, I recognized some of the cast from TV-land, but there's a reason these people aren't regulars on hit shows.

I was a huge fan of Lost Skeleton of Cadavra Cave (probably a top 10 favorite of mine) but Dark and Stormy night did not work for me. Whereas Lost Skeleton kept me laughing from start to finish, Dark and Stormy Night only ever solicited a few brief snickers. The characters were, for the most part, over done, unconvincing and annoying. It also seemed like the pacing of the humor was off; not enough time was given to laugh at one gag before another was executed. It was kind of like watching a Mel Brooks film that never truly delivers played by a group of clicky actors (like in a Christopher Guest movie where he tries to fit in all his buddies, no matter how unnecessary and detracting their characters are).

When I try to describe Lost Skeleton, words fail me. The script is genious and the characters are goofy, subtle and fully convinced. If I was asked to describe Dark and Stormy Night, I would probably say that it is simply a loud parody and that someone shoud rather rent the movie Clue instead.